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Archive for the ‘Las Ramblas’ Category

I am tired of hearing everyday, new cases of robberies, pick pocketing, thiefs, etc. in Barcelona! We need to do something, and I propose to collect signatures to present them in the City Council.

Everyday, thousands of tourists in Barcelona get the vacations ruined because of the lack of security in the city center, while goverment just car about ticketing bad parked cars or even the most evil danger of fast bicicle riders…

Since nor the police, nor the goverment are going to do anything by the moment, here goes some secuity tips to be followed if you dont want to contribute with your savings to the thiefs collective of Barcelona:

Never carry with you a lot of money. The risk to be a victim of a pick pocket in Barcelona is extremely high. Bring just some Euros for the day, and leave the rest at the security box of your hotel.

Pay a lot of attention to your personal things in places with a lot of people, as Las Ramblas, the Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, subway, etc…

Keep a meter of distance between and ANY stranger who comes to you for ANY reason. Pick pockets thiefs are not very clever, and they use stupid excuses to get in touch with you, like playing a ball between your feed, and meanwhile, they take your wallet away; also I saw once in Park Guell a couple of thiefs that threw something similar to a bird shit, and then tried to clean it, and the pockets of the tourists… I advised them, and avoid the action, thought.

If driving, NEVER STOP by any excuse. Sometimes, someone will tell you that you have a flat tire. NEVER, NEVER stop! If you do, probably you will lose the luggage, and it is a really bad inconvenience.

Dont explore the RAVAL neighbourhood. It is VERY dangerours. Zones to avoid in the center: RAVAL, and everything at the left of the Ramblas. The are inside the streets Via Layetana, Princesa Street, Sant Pere Mes Alt and Comerç st. I will soon publish a map with the DANGER areas of Barcelona.

In restaurants, bars, cafes, never leave the hand bag behind you. It is better to fire the bag…

I will propose to add your comment about how you were robbed in Barcelona, the street name, and explain what happened. I will send it to the City Council when I have some of them.

“
La Historia de los Tarantos” is a work by Alfredo Mañas which narrates a man and a woman’s struggle to place their love above the obstinance of their respective families who are determined to thwart it: the Tarantos and the Zorongos, two gypsy clans locked in an old blood-feud and who choose hate, vengeance and tragedy over seeing their families united.The work which in 1963 was made into a film by Rovira Beleta starring Carmen Amaya and Antonio Gades is set in the Somorrostro neighborhood of Barcelona in the middle of the last century; a shanty-town dominated by misery, illiteracy and individuals without a future, an underworld of outcasts which modern society had always shunned and before which it closed its eyes and put up walls to deny its existence.This is the setting, and the concept that director Emilio Hernández wants to highlight above all others. “We live in an integrated Europe with a mixture of races and cultures, and that generates conflict in a world that knows situations such as that of
Palestine, and this is why Los Tarantos is so current”.And so it is, this play represents social commitment to the gypsy cause and to any other marginal group, as well as hope for the future against the obstacles to peace.Nevertheless, the importance of the social underpinning of this work does not undermine its artistic validity, a challenge seldom taken on from a clearly flamenco perspective.When you settle into your seat at the Barcelona Teatre Musical, you expect to see a series of musical numbers interpreted by a long list of performers who do not belong to the glamorous elite of flamenco and who will do their best to string a story together. But the reality is quite another as the talent and earnest intentions of these men and women who by definition are more familiar with flamenco than theatrical interpretation, yield splendid fruit. Exploring the depths and stirring the most relevant political consciousness…dignifying the primary identifier of the Andalusian character: flamenco.The show begins with the singing of tonás while a giant screen shows retrospective images of the Somorrostro neighborhood. The story of three generations brings us up the present of the action about to unfold. We are witness to violent confrontations and hatred between the two gypsy families in
Barcelona: the Tarantos and the Zorongos. Ismael, the young Taranto played by dancer Juan Carlos Lérida meets Juana
La Zoronga, played surprisingly well by Ana Salazar. The young couple, rapt in passion, promise eternal love and all is lightness and joy until the morning after when they discover the rivalry of their respective families. Soledad, the
Taranto mother, played convincingly by Carmelilla Montoya in a marvellous interpretation, is surprised and fascinated by Juana’s dancing and this leads her to rise above the family feud which Rosendo (Candy Román), the Zorongo father adamantly refuses to forget. This is all held together by a running narrative and dynamic, attractive staging, with extreme respect and a musical idiom that makes this play much more than just an experiment.

It is a pedestrianized walkway situated between Plaza de Catalunya and the port. Its name derives from the Arabic “ramla”; meaning “sandy ground”. Las Ramblas is formed by six sections. The first one is named Rambla dels Canaletes; after it we find Rambla dels Estudis; R. de les Flors, with many florist stalls; and so on. On this boulevard you can see a lot of stalls, cafes and restaurants. The nearest metro stop to Las Ramblas are; Liceu; Drassanes (green line); or Catalunya (green or red line).